AISC certification audits hit WPS libraries harder than most third-party reviews. The auditor will pick a weld on the floor, ask the welder which WPS authorizes it, ask the QC office to produce the current revision, and walk both copies back together. If the revisions don't match, the audit goes south fast.

Here is the document set that survives an AISC visit.

The WPS library

Required:

  • Every production WPS, current revision, signed
  • Revision history table in each WPS (or a centralized revision log)
  • Archive of every prior revision, named and accessible
  • Single source of truth — one location is the master library

The single-source rule is critical. AISC auditors are sensitive to "the QC office version" vs "the shop floor version" — these must be the same document.

PQR archive

For every qualified-by-test WPS:

  • Signed PQR
  • Lab test results (tensile, bend, CVN if applicable)
  • Lab accreditation certificate, current at test date
  • Welder qualification at test date

For every prequalified WPS:

  • Citation to Clause 5 of the cited code edition
  • Cross-reference to Table 5.3 base metal listing
  • Cross-reference to Table 5.4 filler matching
  • Cross-reference to Annex B for joint detail

Welder qualification (WPQ) records

For every welder currently producing structural welds:

  • Current WPQ for each process being welded
  • Continuity record showing the welder has not gone 6+ months without using each process
  • Visual examination results from each WPQ
  • Stamp number assignment record

AISC auditors verify continuity. A welder qualified 3 years ago who hasn't welded SMAW in 8 months is no longer qualified — and any SMAW welds they produced in the interim are non-compliant.

CVN and demand-critical (AISC 341)

For AISC seismic work, additional documentation:

  • CVN-qualifying PQR with Table 6.8 supplementary essential variables
  • Demand-critical weld identification on the WPS
  • Heat-input monitoring records from production
  • Interpass temperature records from production
  • WPS classification as "demand-critical-qualified"

Many shops carry a separate WPS library for AISC 341 work to avoid mixing demand-critical and ordinary procedures.

Visual inspection records

Required:

  • Daily visual inspection log (welds inspected, accept/reject, location, welder)
  • Reject disposition records (rework, replacement, engineering review)
  • Trend analysis of reject rates per welder, per process, per joint type

A high reject rate in itself isn't a finding — but absence of trend tracking is.

Audit-day workflow

What the AISC auditor will do, in order:

  1. Walk the floor. Pick 5–10 welds visible on the floor at random.
  2. Identify the authorizing WPS for each weld. Ask the welder, ask the foreman, ask the QC clerk.
  3. Pull the WPS from the QC office library. Verify it's the current revision.
  4. Verify the welder's WPQ for this process / position / thickness.
  5. Cross-check the PQR (or prequalified citation).
  6. Sample the inspection records for the chosen welds.

Every step must produce a clean trace. A break anywhere is a finding.

Common AISC findings on WPS libraries

  1. Floor copy doesn't match QC copy. Most common; usually a revision control gap.
  2. WPS cites a prior code edition while the contract calls out the current edition.
  3. Welder producing welds in a process for which their WPQ has lapsed (continuity gap).
  4. PQR test report missing from the file even though the PQR signature page exists.
  5. CVN supplementary essentials missing on AISC 341 demand-critical WPSs.

The path to a clean audit

A WPS tool that:

  • Maintains a single-source library
  • Tracks revision history automatically
  • Provides a read-only floor view that always shows the current revision
  • Links each WPS to its supporting PQR by number
  • Exports an audit packet in one click

…dramatically reduces audit prep time and audit findings. Shops that have moved off paper-and-Word libraries typically cut their audit-day finding count by 70–90%.